Amusement device.



E.1.STEWARD AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED' DEC. 1. 1916.

1,29,950. Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

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WOT/"raid STEWARD.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE- APPLICATION FILED use. 1. l-9-16.'

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

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EDGAR J. STEWARD, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Application filed December 1, 1916. Serial No. 134,335.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR J. STEWARD, a

. citizen of the United States, residing at Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio, have invented certain useful Im rovements in Amusement Devices, of which t e following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

The present invention relates to a game, and'has particular reference to that type wherein a surface projectile is used.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a chute or other confining element, to place a sounding device such as a bell therein, and to provide means for projecting a ball or the like through'the chute with a view to strike the bell.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an amusement device of this character which may be easily operated children, and which is of simple construction and which may be economically built.

The above and other obj cts and advantages of this invention will be brought out more clearly in the following detailed description of the present preferred embodiment, the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of an amusement device constructed according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the same.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2, showing the upper branch of the chute and the bell suspension device located therein.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the upper end of the chute, showing the trigger for ejecting the ball.

Referring to these drawings wherein like parts are designated by similar numerals of reference throughout the several views, 10 designates the bottom of the upper leg of the chute which is in the form of a flat board provided at its lateral edges with upstanding sides 11. Thisupper leg of the chute is supported upon relatively long front legs 12 and relatively short rear legs 13. the legs being socketed at their upper ends in Straps 14. The straps 14 are secured to the outer faces of the sides 11. The upper leg of the chute is thus inclined backwardly. The upper forward end of the chute is closed by a front wall 15 on which is pivoted a horizontally extending lever 16, the lever extending from its pivotal support 17 and being normally urged toward the rear end of the chute by a spring 18. The lever 16 is provided, 1ntermediate its ends, with an elongated projecting finger 19 which extends through the inner side of the wall 15 and enters a socket formed by a pair of spring fingers 20. The spring fingers 20 are adapted to lightly and yieldingly hold a ball 21 or other projectile adapted to be used. The outer end of the lever 16 projects beyond the wall 15 and is adapted to be grasped by the hand and retracted, and to be suddenly released to force the projection 19 into the socket 20 and dislodge the ball 21 with considerable force.

The chute is provided with a lower leg 22 of substantially the same construction as the upper leg, and which is inclined downwardly and forwardly therebeneath. The lower leg is connected to the rear end of the upper leg by means of an elbow or U-shaped casing 23 which is entirely closed at its top, Sides and bottom, and which forms substantially a continuation of the chute. The lower forward end of the leg 22 is closed by an end wall 24: against which are adapted to accumulate a number of balls or projectiles 21. The lower leg22 of the chute fits between the forward and rear legs or stand ards 12 and 13 and is held from lateral displacement by the same.

The upper leg of the chute is provided, near its rear end, with a detachable vertically extending bracket 25 which may be formed from a single length of wire which is arched over the chute and bent downwardly at its intermediate portion to support thereon a bell 26 adapted to be struck by the pro jectile 21. The arms of the bracket 25 are resilient and are turned oppositely away from each other at their free ends to provide fingers 27 adapted to be fitted in socket openings 28 formed in the sides 11 adjacent to the bottom 10 of the chute. The openings or sockets 28 are formed in the inner faces of the sides 11 and communicate with vertical grooves 29 formed in the inner faces of the said sides 11 and into which are adapted to be seated the spring arms of the bracket 25. By compressing the arms of the bracket 25 together the fingers 27 may be retracted from the sockets 28 and the bracket with its bell 26 be detached from the chute.

The sides of the grooves 29 hold the arms of the bracket 25 in upright position when the bracket is in place.

In use, a ball 21 is placed in the spring socket 20. The free end of the lever 16 is drawn backwardly against the tension of the spring 18, and is quickly released, whereupon the spring 18 draws the lever 16 toward the ball 21 with considerable force and strikes the projection 19 against the ball 21 to eject the latter with considerable force from the spring socket. Suitably fixed to the side Walls of the upper leg 10, near the free end thereof and depending therefrom, is a substantially U-sha'ped bail or hanger 30 which embraces the lower leg 22 spaced'from its free end so as to support the same when the device is moved from one point to another, ancl also serves to sustain the free end of the lower leg 22 spaced from the floor, foundation or the like on which the device is arranged.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the above described construction, Without departing from the spirit of the invention, and are restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention What I claim is I 1. In a device as described, in combination, a chute having two legs inclined in opposing directionsina horizontal plane, said chute having a continuous channel therethrough from end to end, a pair of brackets secured upon opposing sides of the upper leg of said chute, each bracket including a central tubular portion, a pair of vertical rods formed with olfsets at their upper ends providing shoulders, the offsets projecting through said tubular portions with their shoulders engaging the under ends of said tubular portions so as to support said chute, another pair of straight rods also formed at their upper ends with offsets, the tubular portions of the remaining brackets being inclined with respect to those of the firstbrackets, and receiving the offsets of the second-named pair of rods.

2. In a device as follows, a chute consisting of an upper and lower leg integrally joined together and having. an intervening loop, the bottom portion of the lower leg extending completely around said loop to form a short upper portion upon. said chute, while the bottom portion of the top leg ex tending around the inner'curve of the. loop and slightly over the top of the lower leg, one of said lcgs beinginclinedwith respect to the other, and means for supporting saidchute in position.

tion, a chute havin its side walls formed at one end with vertical grooves, and a wire bracket having vertical resilient legs the lower ends of which set into said grooves,

EDGAR J. STEWARD.-.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of' Patents, Washington, D. G.

. 3 In a device asdescribed, in combina- 

